Private U.S. Company Introduces Bob Marley Branded Weed

A startup firm, Marley Natural, in New York has introduced a line of marijuana strains that are branded using the name of reggae icon Bob Marley. The line includes four kinds of cannabis that are currently available in some dispensaries in California, but there are plans to expand the line to four other cities in the United States. In addition to the cannabis strains, the firm also introduced a line of smoking accessories and beauty products for sale throughout the U.S. These are the first products from Marley Natural, which was developed in 2014 with money from Privateer Holdings, a private equity company based in Seattle that focuses on marijuana businesses. The company has a 30-year licensing arrangement with Marley’s family to develop weed strains and other products. The Marley brand products join several other celebrity-branded marijuana lines. Critics have pointed to the irony of private corporate interests profiting from the name and legacy of Bob Marley, who was a vehement anti-capitalist.